Question

Describe the history of the Chesapeake Bay oyster fishery from the 1800s to present, and the most important ecosystem-level impact of oyster overfishing?

Answer 1

Hi Answer:

The word "Chesapeake" is derived from the Algonquin word "Chesipiook," meaning "Great Shellfish Bay." Up to early 1800 the Chesapeake Bay were exploited very less for the oyster fishing. In the early 1800 the industrial fishery vessels first arrived at this place from New England due to the failure of the northwestern oyster fishery industries. and this was the starting of the exploitation and exploration of the Chesapeake Bay. In starting it was a simple fishing task but up to reaching 188Os it was converted into a big industry and reached up to a peak. The early sign of over fishing and habitat degrdation was start appearing in 1850s. The stepwise brief history of Chesapeake Bay Oyster harvesting is as follows:

1800s: The fisherman of new England bring the heavy fishery equipment to this place and started the exploring of area for oyster fishing.

1820s: Canning of oysters begins by Baltimore. And in 1820, Maryland passed a rule to ban the use of dredging equipment to protect the natural habitat.

1830: Maryland made a rule by passes legislation that the resident of Maryland can only harvest oysters in local waters.

1839: It was estimated that 700,000 bushels were harvested in Maryland in 1839; and this number become doubled over the next two decades.

1865: The rule was gain changed by the Maryland, and the oyster harvesting in the Maryland reached up to 5 million bushels.

1880s: This time the Oyster production was at peak according to one estimate it ranges between 14 million to 20 million bushels each year.

Late 1800s: The "Oyster Wars" begin, with "oyster pirates" and legal watermen in Maryland and Virginia start fighting on the oyster harvesting rights in the Chesapeake Bay. The disputes will not end until the mid-20th century.

1890s-1900s: New laws were implemented which improved the poor working conditions of oyster industry in this region At the same time it was seen that the harvesting capacity start decline due to overfishing of oysters.

1950s-1960s: New diseases spread in the Chesapeake, which further damaging the oyster population and reduce the harvesting capacity..

1970s-1990s: After stabilization in the late 1960s and 1970s, the oyster population drops again in 1980s and 1990s. In the mid-1980s, the bay's polluted, low-oxygen "dead zones" are identified.

1993: A conference was organized in which a group of organizations, institutions, elected officials, businesses and individuals in Maryland participated and they discussed the concern and threats to the state's oyster population. After that in 1994 an action plan oyster recovery was framed as Oyster Recovery Partnership.

1999: Due to the drought and disease in 1999 the Maryland's oyster population again dropped to a significant level.

2009: Oyster farming on leased water bottom is legalized in Maryland.

2010: The Oyster Restoration and Aquaculture Development Plan was passed by Maryland governing body. Which made sure that 24 % of the oyster habitat in the bay as off-limits for harvesting.

2013: The first harvests of Maryland-farmed oysters become available.

2017: The oyster industry again start coming on its feet. The Chesapeake Bay is classified into different aquaculture lease areas, public fishery areas or sanctuaries to promote the fishing or oyster industry along with the protection of natural habitat by scientific way.

Ecosystem-level impact of oyster overfishing?

Impact on environment; the oyster overfishing changes the ecosystem of the Chesapeake Bay. Due to overfishing of oyster there an imbalance is created and the other species which either eat or depend on the oysters are also effected and hence the whole food web as well as the ecosystem was disturbed by the oyster overfishing.

Impact on Dependent species

There are certain other species present in the sea which depend on each other by direct or indirect way to each other due to missing or unavailability of one species from the sea put negative effect on them and also affect their population too.